Tasting Notes: This is the wine that Randall Grahm bought and marketed for years under his Bonny Doon “Heart of Darkness” label (which you’re probably too young to remember). Today, of course, t... he vines are older, and the wine is even better. In the glass, the Madiran Tradition 2022 has a deep purple color, almost black at the center. The nose unfurls gradually, with ripe black mulberries, cassis liqueur, leaf smoke, and pomegranate moving in and out of the background, adding fleeting suggestions of cardamom pods, black olives, licorice, and pine resin, as the wine evolves in the glass. On the palate, the wine is supple and concentrated, with a dense sweet core of crunchy black fruit that echoes the nose. Sleek ripe tannins frame the mineral-laced flavors, which are carried through a long persistent finish by the beautifully integrated fresh-fruit acidity. Drink now–2030. Read More
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In 1952, Alain Bortolussi's grandfather, an immigrant from the Veneto, purchased the eighteenth-century château and the surrounding 25 hectares of vines, which had just been classified under AOC regulations as Madiran and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. At the time, it had almost no value. Over the next thirty-five years, most of the estate was replanted with the best clones of Tannat and Cabernet Franc for the Madiran, along with a tiny one-hectare parcel of local white varieties for the Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh. Alain, who is the first to bottle wine at the estate, took charge in 1991. When I met him in 2013, he was just completing the restoration of the château. In 2016, his daughters, Claire, and Marion, joined Alain at Château Viella, and in 2019, on Alain’s nominal “retirement,” have taken the reins of this jewel of a winegrowing estate.
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Viticulture in the Southwest of France was initially established by Phocaean traders and certainly expanded under Roman occupation. The region's network of rivers made it possible to transport its wines to distant markets and by the 2nd Century AD, wines from the Southwest were the most highly prized in Europe. The vine louse, phylloxera, literally wiped out the vineyards and the 2000 year-old traditions of the region. A renaissance that began in the 1950s continues to this day as enthusiastic growers and a new generation of winemakers reestablish the ancient vineyards. Madiran is considered the "signature" red wine of Gascony and perfectly addresses the local diet, which is high in fat - indeed, the initial studies finding a correlation between low cholesterol and red wine-drinking were done in this region.
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A Basque and Gascogne specialty, many wines in the southwest of France include the Tannat in their appellations. Most famous are the wines of Madiran and Irouléguy. The grape's dark color and high concentration of tannins made it a perfect wine to accompany the dense, fatty foods of the region. Tannat requires careful farming to produce wines that showcase more of its fruit, and to achieve physiological ripeness of the tannins.
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Fatty grilled ribeye steaks, as well as slowly braised beef with root vegetables are perfect for this wine. Duck roasts or seared duck breast are also recommended.
